Self-sealing relief valve



fl 1954 o. L. GARRETSON ETAL 2,666,443

SELF-SEALING REFIEF VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 29; 1946 III INVENTORS O. L. GARRETSON C.O4 HENNEMAN ATTORNEYS Jan. 19, 1954 o. L. GARRETSON Erm. 2,666,448

SELF-SEALING RELIEF VALVE 'Filed July 29, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS O.L.GA ETSON c. o. HENNEMAN ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 19, 1954 SELF-SEALIN G RELIEF VALVE Owen L. Garretson and Clarence Henneman,

Bartlesville, 0kla., assignors to Phillips Petroleum Company, a corporation. ofDelawar-e.

ApplicationzJuly 29,1946, Serial-N0; 686-,855

ZGlaims. 1

This invention relates. to. pressure. relief valves. In one of its more specific aspects. it relates to. pressure reliefv valves. adapted to. avoid leakage at'pressures. approaching that. at which the valve opens.

Inconventional relief valves there isa tendency for the valves to leak as pressure approaches the valve opening pressure. In many such valves this leakage is appreciable and over periods of time product loss may reacl'ra sizable. figure. In case of hydrocarbon gas storage or storage of other inflammable or noxious gases, leakage may present hazards,,especially in enclosures.

One object of our invention is to provide a. non-leaking pressurev relief valve.

Another object of. our invention is to provide a pressure relief valve so designed that the higher the inlet pressure upon the valve mechanism the tighter will be the seal" against leakage until the. valve opening pressure is reached; 7

Another object of our invention is. to provide such non leaking. pressure relief valves as are simple and inexpensive. to manufacture.

Still another object of our invention is toprovide a non-leaking pressure relief valve in which. the non-leaking feature may be adjustable and positive in its action.

Still. other objects and advantages. of. our. invention will be apparent from a. careful study 013 the following disclosure and attached drawing which respectively describes and illustrates preferred forms or embcdimentsof our invention.

In the drawing,

Figure 1. is. av diagrammatic sectional elevation. of a preferred form. of our relief. valve taken onthe. line I-I of Figure 1a.,

Figure la is a cross section. of this valve. taken on the line l'a-la. of Figure. 1.

Figure 2 isa sectionalelevation. of another em bodiment of our relief valve..

Figures ,3 andj4' are sectional elevations. of still other embodiment of; our relief valve, in. which the. sealing member held firmly in. place. by spring action. 1

Referring. now to the drawing and: especially to Figure. 1', a. valve. body II. has an exterior threaded sectionlZ and an interior threaded section [3. This'exterior threadedsection isv of such diameter and. threads astofitin a gas-tight manner in a. cylinder. or tank, not; shown, and. in which gas under pressure isstored. An operaing I! in this body member I]. t-erminate in. a small circular flange. or shoulder. having smooth and rounded edges. Between. this. flange I4: and.

the sidewall. of the. bodyis an annular surface I5: which is machined: to a smoothsuriace. The interior. cylindrical surface lfi'need' not be highly machined. since it. is not intended to be a scale ingsurface; however, it should be free from burrs or other: gross imperfections as would interfere with the freeimovement of a valve member 26. The threads [3 are cut into. the wall It in such a manner as to. permit free passage of the valve member 29. of hexagonal or other cross sectional form for ease of: installation.

The; valve member 2c: is in general of an annular shape with its upper end fully open and. its lower endihaving. an annular shoulder 2|. Guides 22, are provided onv the. exterior surface of the movable valve 20- to assist in keeping the lower valve surface 23 substantially parallel to the seat surface [5 atall times.

A; resilient gasket 25 fits into its proper place below the valve shoulder 21 and above the valve seat 24. The small circular flange hi pushes against and; compresses a portion of. the lower surface of the gasket.

A helical spring 2.6 held in place by a, threaded nut'2'l keeps the valve-member seated at all times excepting when relieving excess pressure from within; a container. The compressive force exerted'bythe spring 26 upon the valve assembly may be adjusted by adjustment of the compression nut 21. This nut has vent holes 35 through which. gas may escape during operation of the valve.

a central circular opening in the valve formed by the annular shoulder 2| is a disc rivet assembly 30; In the embodiment of Figure 1, this disc rivet assembly maybe composed of two members, the disc rivet 3i and a ring member 32-. Some points are adapted when bent over as shown to holdth'e disc rivet member in place, the. points resting against the ring 32. Other means maybe used inholding the disc rivet in place";v For example, two opposite points may be madewid'er'than shown in the drawing, a pair of opposite points may be drilled and a cotter key-inserted, or these points may have their exterior surface threaded totake a hold on a nut.

The lower portion of this disc rivet (it has a flange 34 adapted to cover a portion of the resilientgasket 2 5, as shown in Figure 1, and yet be free for movement within the space H.

Figure: 2 illustrates a second embodiment of our: excess: pressure valve.v exterior threads 42 and interior threads- 43 for attaching it; to: a pressure: vessel, not shown, and

insertionof a compression spring nut 44.

Thelower; exterior portion may bev A. valve body ll has 3 valve body ll has, like that shown in Figure 1, an annular flange 45 and a seat 45. A movable. valve ll has some guide flanges 48, an annular flange so and a base surface at. The flange fill provides a space in which is inserted a resilient gasket member at of a form as illustrated.

A center bolt member $2 may be composed of a metal bolt portion having a head 53 and its. opposite end carrying threads at. Portion 55 is formed from fusible metal. and is melt and be blown from its normal case the valve assembly is exposed to abnormally high temperatures. An adjustment nut St has interior threads to mesh with the male threads 54 of the bolt 52.

A comprssion spring i held in compression by the nut l l rests against the valve til as illus trated in Figure 2. The nut it has bent holes 53 for release of pressure during operation of the assembly.

Figure 3 illustrates still another embodiment of our excess pressure valve. In this figure, a body member 6! has some bottom threads 62 for insertion into a pressure cylinder or other container and some uppe interior threads 53 for insertion of a t: ntening nut El i. This nut has a plura ty of vent holes for escape of during operation of the valve mechanism 5%. This valve has exterior guides El, an annular shoulder member and a bottom seat 59, similar to those of Figures 1 and 2. The ennular shoulder forms an opening at its, center into which is inserted the bolt member it.

This bolt member consists of a head like portion having an annular flange H for contacting a resilient gasket 8i which fits into a space immediately below the annular shoulder 6% of the valve. The opposite end of this bolt may be grooved as illustrated talring a spring retainer E2 or it may be threaded, for taking a threaded take-up Between this retainer E2 and the shoulder lid is a compression spring it.

The resilient gasket ti rests upon an annular shoulder i l of a valve seat 15. The diameter of the flange ll sufliciently small that the flange may move freely within the space '55 and yet sufiiciently large that during operation the gasket 8i will not extrude through a space between the annular flange H and the annular shoulder '74.

A compression spring 32 is adapted to transmil; compression from the take-up nut to the valve 65 and hold the gasket 35 in contact with the seat members M and it").

Figure 4 illustrates still another embodiment of our valve structure involving th same general principle of operation. In this embodiment, a valve body 9! has lower male threads 92 for installation of the assembly, and upper female threads 9? for meshing with compression spring nut M, which in turn has male threads 95. The valve assembly t6 like those described hereinbefore, has guide members 9'5, 2. body 95, a resilient gasket llil, and a conical heat bolt Hill. The opposite end Hi2 of the bolt Hill may have a circular groove for accommodation of a U-clamp Hit, or this bolt end may be threaded to take a threaded nut in place of the U-clamp 83. A spring its may be inserted under the U-clamp N53 for making certain that the conical surface llll is in contact with the resilient gasket 99 at all times, especially under low pressure conditions.

position in A compression spring it? holds the valve memadapted to 4 05. Openings l0"! provide an exit for released gases.

Operation In the operation of the valve embodiment of Figure 1, the spring adjustment nut is tightened sufficient that the valve assembly 2t will vent gas at a predetermined and fixed gas pressure. For example if propane gas is stored in a pressure cylinder at about 190 pounds per square inch at 100 El, it may be desirable to seat a. relief valve to pop off pressure at say 300 pounds per square inch. The compression spring nut it is accordingly set at this value. When such a tank is in storage and pressure within reach, say, 250 pounds or more, conventional relief valves frequently begin to leak around their sealing gasket, and although pop off pressure may never be reached yet gas may leak around the gasket and be lost. When gas reaches such a pressure under the valve of Figure l, the pressure exerted against the lower surface of the disc rivet 39 compresses the gasket 25 so that this gasket tends to flow away from the disc rivet 39, and accordingly tightens the seal between the gasket 25 and the seat It: and sealing shoulder i i.

The greater the pressure acting on the bottom of the disc rivet 3d the greater is this pressure sealing tendency. Thus when such a compression spring as spring 26 would tend to ap proach its operational pressure, leakage normally permitted by very slight spring compression is, in fact, prevented by the tendency of the gasket 25 to be held more tightly against the surfaces of i5 and I i.

The embodiment shown in Figure 2 of the drawing operates in a similar manner to that of Figure l. The greater the pressure upon the surface of the head of the bolt member the greater is the tendency of the bolt to compress the gasket 5! adjacent the bolt head and to cause a tendency to extrude away from the bolt head and cause a tighter gasket-to-metal seal at the shoulder 45 and valve seat 2%.

This embodiment has two added features, first, in the adjusting screw and second, the fusible plug 55. The first feature, the adjusting screw, finds utility in keeping close contact between the conical surface of the bolt head 53 and the resilient gasket at all times regardless of how low the pressure acting against the bolt member 52 falls, while the latter finds utility in case of a fire or overheating from any cause when the fusible plug melts and permits an orderly release of pressure so that the vessel will not ex lode.

Figure 3 embodies the same general principle in that exertion of pressure on the head of bolt Ell causes compression of the gasket in the vicinity of this bolt. The resilient gasket accordingly tends to flow away from the bolt and to increase pressure of contact at other surfaces, as at shoulder 14 and the valve seat surface '35.

The spring it acts at all times to provide close contact between theannular iiange ll of the bolt and the gasket 8|. This spring it need not be made of especially large and strong spring stock since its main function is merely to maintain. a close contact between the bolt head shoulder 1! and the gasket 8! at times when. this valve mechanism is exposed to low pressure within a cylinder. At high pressures, the higher pressure against the bolt head surface provides force for compression of the gasket.

The member 52 which transmits force from the spring l3 to the adjacent end of the bolt 70 may be a U-clip, as illustrated in Figure 3, or

may be a threaded member so as to be adjustable with respect to threads (not shown) on the bolt end, or the bolt end may be drilled to accommodate a cotter key for holding a spring compression washer in place. Any other suitable means for making this connection may be employed.

The embodiment of Figure 4 operates in a similar manner in that pressure from within a container acts in the direction of the arrow against the head of the bolt I00. The gasket 99 is accordingly compressed and tends to flow in all directions. Pressure of contact is thus increased between the gasket 99 and the rounded shoulder I06 of the valve seat. This sealing pressure is greater, the higher the pressure acting against the head of bolt I00. Thus at pressures approaching valve opening pressure, leaking tendencies are markedly retarded.

The bolt end adjacent the U-clamp 103 may be grooved as shown for accommodation of such a U-clamp, or may be threaded for taking a threaded spring take-up member, or may be drilled for a cotter key-washer assembly, as mentioned relative to the embodiment of Figure 3.

In all these embodiments, the main compressive springs are such that by proper adjustment of the spring take-up nuts, the valves may be made to release gas at predetermined pressures. And our valves are so constructed that leakage is prevented at pressures below pop off pres-- sures by compression of the resilient gasket, this compressive and sealing force is directly proportional to the gas pressure acting on the bolt head so that at higher pressures the tendency to prevent gas leakage is greater than at lower pressures.

Such excess pressure valves as herein described may be made of commercially available materials suitable for such purpose, Brass may be used for the valve bodies, and valve and bolts, take-up nuts and like parts. The springs may be made of standard spring stocks.

Special materials are not required, excepting in cases where the valves are to be used with drums or containers in which corrosive gases are stored. In such cases materials may be selected from among those less susceptible to corrosion, etc.

The resilient gaskets may be made of natural rubber, synthetic rubber or other stock suitable for specific storage problems.

It will be obvious to those skilled in such art that many variations and modifications of excess pressure valves may be made using our principle of preventing leakage and yet remain within the intended spirit and scope of our invention.

Having disclosed our invention, we claim:

1. A pressure relief valve comprising, in combination, a valve seat, a valve head having a flanged portion, means for urging said head into engagement with said seat, a gasket of resilient material mounted on the flanged portion of said head for sealing the joint between said head and said seat, said gasket having a generally cylindrical inner wall defining a central opening therein and a smooth circular surface adjoining and angularly related to said wall, and a pressure member freely mounted for sliding movement in said head, said member having a portion at one end thereof engaging and complementary with a substantial part of the wall and surface of said gasket throughout the entire circumference thereof, said pressure member having an exposed surface at the high pressure side of said valve head and another exposed surface at the low pressure side of said valve head, whereby the pressure differential between said surfaces is effective to move said member, thereby to deform said gasket and tightly seal the joint between said head and said seat.

2. A pressure relief valve comprising, in combination, a valve seat, a valve head having a generally frusto-conical recess formed therein, a relatively strong spring for urging said head into engagement with said seat, an annular resilient gasket mounted in said frusto-conical recess, said gasket including a wall defining a cylindrical opening therein and a frusto-conical surface angularly related to said wall, a screw extending through said gasket, said screw having a head engaging a substantial portion of said irusto-conical surface throughout the entire circumference thereof and a shank engaging a substantial portion of said cylindrical wall of the gasket throughout the entire circumference thereof, the head of the screw being exposed at the high pressure end of the valve, the shank of the screw being exposed at the low pressure end of said valve, and a relatively weak spring for urging the head of said screw into engagement with said gasket.

OWEN L. GARRETSON.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 666,245 Ginaca Jan. 1 5, 1901 763,208 Robinson June 21, 1904 1,157,196 Von Philip Oct. 19, 1915 1,274,680 Calvert Aug. 6, 1918 1,301,278 Labus Apr. 22, 1919 1,613,072 Wilson Jan. 4, 1927 1,725,297 Paterson Aug. 20, 1929 2,107,200 Kennon Feb. 1, 1938 2,131,928 Abegg Oct. 4, 1938 2,323,237 Payne June 29, 1943 2,482,198 Melichar Sept. 20, 1949 FQREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 516,600 Germany of 1931 

